Hiring Musicians: The Basics
Never Booked Musicians Before? Here's What You Need To Know
Any Questions? Contact us now or see our no-fuss prices!
Here at the Soho String Quartet, we get a lot of clients who are making a once-in-a-lifetime booking for their wedding, or are simply new to the corporate events scene, and don't know how to go about booking musicians.
Don't worry. It's actually really simple. We'll tell you everything you need to know on these pages.
Whether you're looking for a string quartet or not, your choice of live music can actually make or break an event. So you do need to get it right. But if you choose your musicians carefully, and make sure everything is well planned, and confirmed in writing, you can be fairly sure - short of an act of God! - that everything will run smoothly on the night. Planning is everything.
On This Page:
1. Start Searching As Early As You Can
If you've found the SSQ website, you've probably started your search already. But don't leave it too late, as popular ensembles do sometimes get booked up well in advance. Although the Soho String Quartet has enough musicians and music to form up to three quartets simultaneously, even we can get short of capacity on particularly popular dates (e.g. Christmas party bookings; Saturday weddings in the Summer etc.)
2. Know What You're Looking For
We don't necessarily mean know exactly what you're looking for in terms of music, we mean know what effect you want the music to have. If you're organizing a corporate reception for instance, know whether you want the guests to be in a really relaxed, informal mood, or if you want to keep things relatively formal. If you're planning your wedding, decide if you want a soft, moving accompaniment to the bridal entrance, or if you would like something more regal and majestic.
These may seem like unnecessary things to think about at the planning stage, but if you want your event to be really special, it helps to have ideas that you can pass on to the musicians you are hiring. It's their job to turn those ideas into reality, and the choice and style of music can have a massive effect on how that happens. The musicians are there to help - use them!
3. Things To Find Out About
When approaching a group of musicians, there are a number of things you should know by the time you book. Generally speaking, these are:
- Availability
- Rates
- Information about Musicians and Instruments
- Experience
- Song Lists
- References or Testimonials
- Additional costs e.g. overtime, travel, meals for band members
E.g. when you book Soho String Quartet:
Because we have so much info on the site, you should know most of this information before you make a booking.
Availability is the first thing you should ask for. Once that's established, ask about the experience of the musicians (unless you've had a personal recommendation, or there's enough info on the website not to worry about this). If you're not convinced, ask for testimonials or references. Soho String Quartet publishes testimonials throughout this website for instance, but you'll often find - as is the case with us - that for client privacy, many musicians don't like to give full names and addresses of previous clients. Generally speaking, you shouldn't worry about this too much. If you really feel that you can't trust an Ensemble's testimonials, ask for a personal reference.
Fees/Rates should then be discussed; at Soho String Quartet we've taken the unusual step of publishing our rates on the site as part of our online booking. Most agencies or groups don't do this; instead, they tend to charge according to the client's budget. Therefore, don't be afraid to haggle. Having said this, it's inadvisable to push musicians too low, as they won't take you seriously. When we started out, we performed at a couple of events for under £400 for three hours, even when there was a 2 hour travel time involved each way. This wasn't sustainable, as the musicians were having to work so hard, that they were too tired to give 100% at every event. So be careful of prices that seem too good to be true, and remember that you're hiring trained professionals.
That aside, do make sure that extra charges such as travel, overtime, and any other conditions are agreed beforehand, to save any nasty surprises afterwards. At Soho String Quartet, we factor everything except travel into our prices , so you'll never have to worry about them. But with other groups, do remember to check.
If your budget is tight, there are clever ways of reducing cost, such as booking a group for a shorter (cheaper) or longer (better value) time, reducing the number of players (e.g. we provide an option of a string trio to suit smaller budgets) etc. Don't be afraid to make suggestions; most musicians are quite resourceful, and will readily find a way of carrying out any solution you suggest.
4. Get Everything In Writing
Strictly speaking, this isn't always necessary. If you're booking a straight quartet for a private party, you may be happy to agree everything by telephone, as verbal contracts are used extensively in the music industry anyway. But it is worth having a confirmation of some sort, even if it's just an email to say 'everything's OK'.
At the Soho String Quartet, we ask for a £75 deposit (or the full payment) to confirm each booking, and send back written confirmation by email, telling you that the deposit has been received, and confirming the date and time of your event. If the musicians you choose do not appear to have an established track record, you should feel free to ask for a contract if it makes you feel more secure. You don't need to worry about that with Soho String Quartet - we can issue a contract and invoice to corporate clients for accounting purposes, but generally the automatic email confirmation serves as both invoice and accounting record. If you don't need it, don't worry about it; a written email confirmation is adequate proof of booking. If you do sign a contract, remember to get a signed copy for both parties.
5. Choice Of Music
A good quartet or music ensemble should be able to provide a full selection of background music on the day of the performance without you having to spend precious time thinking about programming. Particularly if your event is a reception, there's little need to worry about specific pieces. However, you should make it clear to the group what genre of music you desire. Most classical groups will present a mixture of classical, pop classical, folk, broadway, romantic, and popular music arrangments. However, it is good to check.
If you want to get more involved in the musical programming, go for it! All good ensembles publish a repertoire list on their website (Soho String Quartet's list is here), and it's often a good idea to pick one or two pieces, and then leave the rest to the musicians.
Also remember to say if there's a particular piece that you don't want to hear! One particular piece that comes to mind is Greensleeves! This traditional tune is loved by millions, but there is always a small minority who find it as irritating as a bad mobile phone ringtone! If this is the case for you, remember to point it out!
If there's a specific piece you want that's not on your chosen group's repertoire list, then suggest it! Most groups will arrange and learn any tune for a small charge. Soho String Quartet is always happy, with advanced notice, to source and arrange a specific tune or song, and this will nearly always cost less than £30 (sometimes a lot less, if we can find an arrangement that's already been published).
Another time when a repertoire list is useful is if you want to have a specific piece of music to round off part of an event. Often, we find ourselves playing for a reception just before a sit-down dinner. A great way of moving everyone into the next room is for the quartet to play a really virtuosic showpiece that gets everyone's attention, and makes them applaud at the end. This gives a natural break in proceedings, which you or your compere/toastmaster/event organiser can use to announce dinner. Little tricks like this can be enormously effective, and should be second nature to an experienced event musician.
6. Little Details
- Dress: Make sure you're specific about what the musicians should wear. Usually this is either Lounge Suit, Dinner Jacket, or All Black, depending on the time of day and the tone of your event. Note that not all musicians own tailcoats, and may need you to pay hire charges if you require these (or indeed for any other kind of special costume).
- Final Confirmation: Contact the musicians a few days before the event to confirm the date and time, and any last minute changes (when you book with Soho String Quartet we contact you a few days beforehand as a matter of course, so there's no need to worry about this). It's always a good idea to give the group leader the mobile phone number of whoever will be running the event, such as the venue organizer or, if it's a wedding, the best man.
- Piano Tuning: If you've booked a pianist, make sure that the venue has had its piano tuned recently (otherwise your ears could be in for a shock!).
- Open-Air Music: If you want musicians to play outside, ensure this is made clear, and agreed with them before the event. Here at the Soho String Quartet, we often play on expensive Italian instruments worth tens of thousands of pounds (which don't belong to us!). Therefore, it is unrealistic to ask a string quartet to play outside unless there is adequate cover, such as a mini-marquee or Gazebo. If the weather is very inclement e.g. there are thunderstorms, it might be difficult for musicians to play outside in a marquee if there is severe risk of damp. Of course, the biggest risk to musical instruments comes from low-flying pigeons!
- Tips: A note about tips: although these are always welcomed by musicians, they are neither required, nor expected. Soho String Quartet does not expect tips to be offered on any occasion.
- Schedule: If the quartet or group that you book is playing in more than one location, or for more than one session (e.g. a quartet plays either side of a set of speeches), it's always worth providing a schedule of events, even if it's just a scribbled bit of paper outlining the timetable of the event.
- Breaks: Musicians will generally need a short break of up to 5 minutes in every hour.
So there you go! Now you're an expert in booking live music! There's not a lot to it, really. So if you have any other questions, please send a message to us. Otherwise, you can start thinking about the music! If you are planning a wedding, please click here for specific advice about wedding music. If you're booking on behalf of your company, do contact us if you'd like to open an account. You can also go straight to the repertoire page to see our music lists.
Ready to book? Contact Us Now to enquire about our availability!
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